


Brothers and Boyfriends (In No Particular Order)

by CaseyBenSullivan



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Fanart Welcome, Fandom Helps Auction Fic, First Kiss, First Time, High School, M/M, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-12
Packaged: 2017-12-19 05:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/880067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaseyBenSullivan/pseuds/CaseyBenSullivan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Supposedly, Frank is Mikey's best friend, but somehow he always ends up hanging up with Mikey's brother Gerard whenever he comes over. That sucks. What sucks a little less is when Gerard's friend (and Mikey's crush), Ray, comes over, and Gerard is nowhere to be found.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brothers and Boyfriends (In No Particular Order)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ro_mm_ck](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ro_mm_ck/gifts).



> I owe many, many thanks to [cee_m](http://cee-m.dreamwidth.org/) for her patience, as it took me nearly a year and a half to complete this fic. Her bid won second place for my fic on her own awesome community, the [Fandom Helps Charity Auction](http://fandom-helps.dreamwidth.org/).
> 
> During our many conversations, cee_m gave me lots of ideas to work with. Her request was for Mikey/Ray. The rest was up to me, but I tried to let this fic be guided by some specific suggestions, such as awkward!Mikey and awkward!Ray, with at least one of the boys in high school.

Mikey doesn't know why he bothers inviting Frank over to his house anymore. Sure, Frank's his best friend, but that's kind of the point. Frank is _his_ best friend, not his brother's. So why does Mikey bother inviting Frank over when he just ends up disappearing into the basement with Gerard for hours on end?

Mikey is grumpily contemplating this point on the living room sofa when there's a tentative knock on the door. He knows that knock; it makes his stomach swoop and his hands get clammy. It seems to make his nose get sweaty, too, because whenever he hears that knock, his glasses slide down to the tip of his nose. Of course, that might have something to do with the way he jerks his head up when he hears that sound.

Clearing his throat, Mikey pushes himself up from the sofa, wiping his clammy hands on his jeans on the way to the front door. He checks the peephole, even though he would swear on almost anything that he knows who's on the other side. He's just not willing to risk his life. And where he lives, that's a real possibility if you open your door to just anyone.

Sure enough, Mikey sees the ill-formed afro that gets his heart racing every time. Not necessarily because of the afro itself, because it is kind of ridiculous, but because of the guy attached to it. A guy who's his brother's best friend, just the way Frank is supposed to be Mikey's best friend, except that Ray's in fucking college, and just about the coolest dude Mikey has ever met.

Mikey clears his throat again as he opens the door. He's careful to give Ray his best blank stare, like maybe he doesn't even know who Ray is, because that's less intimidating than the 'please bone me now' look that would be there otherwise.

"Uh, hey, Mikey, hi."

Ray stays standing in the doorway, awkward with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched over. Ray's pretty tall for his age, or he would be if he stood up straight. But Mikey's not his mom, so he doesn't say anything about Ray's posture and instead just stands aside so Ray can come in.

"Hey," he replies, closing and locking the door behind them. The snick of the lock reminds him of the way Gerard sometimes locks the door when he goes into the basement with Frank (or maybe Frank does it, Mikey's not sure) and it makes him wonder if they have sex down there.

Mikey shoves his hands into his pockets and suppresses a shudder. He has no interest in thinking about his brother having sex, thank you very much, and the same goes for Frank. The guy might be his best friend, but their friendship practically defines the word platonic. Mikey's just not into Frank that way.

Ray, however, is another story. There's something so geeky and nervous and lovable about him that Mikey just can't resist. Plus, he shares Mikey's awkwardness, which is something Mikey doesn't have in common with Frank. Frank is hot (Mikey can admit that even though he's not into him) and confident, sometimes to the point of being smug. A lot of that's probably fronting, sure, but Mikey still finds it intimidating. It's not comforting the way Ray's uncertainty is.

"Um, where's -"

"Downstairs with Frank," Mikey says, interrupting Ray before he can mention Mikey's traitorous, best-friend-stealing brother. They wandered into the kitchen at some point, and Mikey stands there, hands in his pockets as he stares down at the dirty tile. Of course, the very thing that makes Ray so attractive to him - his shyness - is the exact reason Ray would never make a move on Mikey, even if he liked him. Moments like this, Ray's shyness is extremely frustrating.

"Ahh," Ray says quietly, his voice conveying everything Mikey needs to know. Mikey risks a glance up at Ray's face, which is soft with understanding and a small smile. Mikey tenses a little, but only because that smile makes him want to relax. He can't let himself be off guard around a guy he likes as much as Ray. He'll just end up embarrassing himself.

"Anyway, whatever. It's not like Frank is supposed to be _my_ friend or anything." Because apparently Mikey doesn't want to embarrass himself, but he doesn't mind coming off like a childish, passive-aggressive jerk in front of Ray. Fuck, what is wrong with him? Why can't he just be normal?

There's a long silence from Ray, or at least, it feels long to Mikey. Annoyed at himself for letting his annoyance show, Mikey shrugs and makes a beeline for the fridge. He could really use a drink, and right now, he doesn't care who's here. Or maybe he does. Maybe drinking beer in front of Ray will convince Ray that he's cool, or at the very least, adult.

"Want one?" he asks, holding out an extra can. When Ray doesn't take it, Mikey just shrugs and puts it back in the fridge. "Okay."

"I don't drink," Ray says all of a sudden, and Mikey pauses with a beer can in hand and the refrigerator door still open, the chilled air cool on his back. Mikey rubs his thumb through the condensation on the can, feeling more awkward and uncomfortable than ever. But then Ray keeps going. "But I'm not, like, judging or anything, you know? I mean, it's cool if that's your thing, it's just not mine, is all. I'll take a soda if you have one though?"

Mikey just blinks owlishly at Ray from behind his glasses for a few seconds. Is Ray actually apologizing for not drinking? Trying to make sure he doesn't feel bad? That's... that's pretty awesome, and just one more example of why Mikey is totally into Ray. Yeah, that's a dangerous thought process. But every time Mikey spends some time with him, he gets the feeling more and more that maybe, just maybe, Ray could be into him too.

"Um, yeah. Take your pick." Mikey stands back so Ray can choose something to drink, and yeah, he totally checks out Ray's lats as he reaches into the fridge. It would be so easy to just lean in and run his hand down the muscles on Ray's back, but Mikey controls himself, busying his hands with his beer can and the tab to open it. "D'you wanna sit down or something? I was just watching tv."

Ray looks back at Mikey with a bright smile that makes Mikey's knees go a little weak. Taking Ray's grin as a yes, Mikey turns on his heel and walks quickly to the couch, tugging on his t-shirt nervously as he goes. He and Ray have never really sat down, just the two of them. Hopefully, Mikey doesn't end up hyperventilating. He can do this. He _can_.

The thump of the fridge door closing alerts Mikey to Ray's impending approach, and, just in case his body decides to betray him, Mikey grabs a pillow and shoves it on his lap.

Ray joins him soon enough. Mikey catches him glancing at the pillow, but before Mikey can try not to blush, Ray is sitting down next to him, can of soda in hand and his smile directed at Mikey. It's like he didn't even notice, or if he did, he doesn't care. Mikey breathes a sigh of relief.

Soon, though, Ray averts his eyes, looking absently somewhere around his knee. Maybe he's nervous like Mikey is. That would be cool, if it's for the same reason.

Mikey takes a long swig of beer. Fuck, he's nervous. His hands are all sweaty and he's afraid the can is going to slip out of his fingers if he's not careful. So, he does his best to be careful.

"Hey, uh, Mikey," Ray says, and Mikey tries to stop mentally fidgeting. "'m sorry Frank ditched you and stuff, but if it's any consolation, I'm here? I mean. Maybe we could hang out, you and me."

Mikey giggles (much to his own horror). He clears his throat and tries to laugh a slightly more manly laugh, but it feels awkward and stilted. Man, if only he could have Frank's confidence at a time like this.

"Yeah, and Gee kinda ditched you too," Mikey says. He's trying to be helpful, but that definitely sounded better in his head. Mikey shakes his head at himself. He's such a stupid dork sometimes. "Did you guys have plans?"

"No, not really." Ray answers with a casual shrug, but something about the way he says it makes Mikey feel like it's not totally casual. It's probably just in his mind, though. He's probably just being hopeful.

So Mikey just nods, and forces himself to look at the tv. He's looking through it more than at it, though, and while he can see movement on the screen and hear the audio, he's not really seeing it. He's not watching. He doesn't care, and he can't concentrate when Ray is sitting right next to him. He's so close, Mikey could touch him if he wanted to. And he does want to, he's just... not sure Ray wants him to. So. There's that.

"You know," Ray says after a long silence, "Gee told me a little about Frank, but he talks about you, like, a lot. He really cares about you." Ray pauses for a second. When Mikey looks over, he's toying with the tab on his soda can. "You and Gee... the things you guys talk about, I can't talk about with my brothers. They wouldn't understand."

Mikey risks a sideways glance at Ray. He wants to believe Ray is talking about stuff like being gay or attracted to guys, or maybe even being attracted to Gerard's little brother. But of course, Gerard would've told him if Ray ever said anything like that. At least, Mikey thinks he would.

Mikey clears his throat and tries to go think of a more neutral topic than whether or not Ray wants to bone him. So he says, "You have brothers?"

Ray smiles a bit before answering. "Yeah. They're good guys, I guess, but they're kind of horndogs."

It sounds like Ray's going to say more, but Mikey snickers without thinking, and mutters, "Who isn't?" Every guy his age that he knows is a total horndog, so yeah. Himself included. When Mikey looks up at Ray to apologize for interrupting, it looks like Ray is suppressing a smile.

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't be such a bad thing if they weren't all straight. I mean, I'm open-minded and stuff, but it sucks having random girls over all the time, and they flirt with me, too!" Ray says it like he's shocked or something, which is so totally adorable that Mikey just wants to kiss him or something. He manages to restrain himself, though, and just grunts sympathetically instead. "I mean jeez, it would be nice if I could just talk to them about the cute guy I saw the other day or something without having to worry about them like, calling me a fag or something. They do that all the time to my friends, man. When Gee used to come over? They'd do it to his face. 's why he doesn't come over to my house anymore. Not that I blame him."

Mikey blinks. "Wow." That is a lot of information at once. First of all, he had no idea that Gerard had been called names by Ray's brothers. Secondly, he's a little jealous of Ray talking about seeing some cute guy that wasn't him, but at the same time, it's cute to see Ray talking about something like that.

Mikey always knew Ray was a little bent - Gerard wouldn't be friends with him if he weren't - but he's never heard Ray talking about it before. It's kind of a relief to hear it from him, to know he might actually have a chance with Ray. Maybe some day.

"Sorry," Ray says, wiggling the tab back and forth on his soda can until it snaps off. Ray makes a frustrated noise. "I didn't mean to get all - complainy on you."

Mikey laughs. He's pretty sure 'complainy' isn't a real word, but if Ray wants to use it, hell, Mikey might start using it himself.

"It's okay," he assures Ray. There's a warmth and kindness in his voice that he doesn't think was there before, a comfortableness that's been growing ever since Ray sat down and started talking. He never knew Ray was so talkative, actually. He's usually hanging out with Frank whenever Ray comes over, so he's never really been focused on him. Sneaking glances at Ray and being otherwise stalkery doesn't really count as 'focusing' on Ray as a person. "I don't mind you getting all complainy on me. Gee does it all the time."

"Yeah."

There's relief in the laughter that follows, which makes Mikey smile. Ray shrugs, then shifts to face Mikey, bringing one knee up onto the couch so he can turn all the way to face him. Mikey swallows hard and moves to mirror Ray's position, careful to keep the pillow in his lap when he does. Can't be too careful. Especially since his knee is touching Ray's now, which is quite possibly the hottest thing that has happened to Mikey all day. Maybe even all week.

"Yeah. Gee and I bitch at each other a lot," Mikey continues. It's easier than sitting there in awkward silence, wanting to lean in and kiss Ray. Talking is a good distraction. "Not about each other, I mean, sure, we do that, but most of the time it's just general bitching, like, about other people and shitty comic books and stuff. Passes the time."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I do it with my brothers a lot," Ray says. "I can't talk to them about guys but I mean, I can talk to them about girls, so there's that. One of the good things about being bi," Ray adds with a sigh, and Mikey raises his eyebrows. Ray's bi? That's... interesting. Mikey can't decide whether to be intrigued or disappointed. Because if Ray's bi, why didn't he know about this before? Is Ray just not into him? Did Gerard not think this fact was worth bringing up, like, ever? "Just, it's something to talk about, you know? Girls I mean. Not about being bi. Because, they probably wouldn't be cool with that."

"Yeah, no. I'm sorry your brothers suck," Mikey says sincerely. He reaches out to put his hand on Ray's knee, but it lands a little higher, on his inner thigh. Mikey bites his lip, worried that Ray'll be upset, but Ray doesn't pull away. He doesn't even look surprised or weirded out or anything.

Mikey gnaws on his lip for a second. He really, really wants to kiss Ray, and he thinks he might be able to get away with it right now if he tried, but he's not brave enough to take the risk. What if Ray doesn't want that? Reluctantly, Mikey pulls his hand away, putting it on the pillow in his lap. He takes a swig of beer and then puts the can back on the coffee table. Fuck, it's so fucking tempting to just make a move. He's just too fucking scared of rejection.

"But think of it this way," he says, trying to put a better spin on the conversation. "At least they don't steal your friends to make out with them when you have them over, right?"

"Right," Ray agrees, laughing. He looks genuinely amused, and that makes Mikey feel good. He grins. "Hey, well, it's not completely a bad thing, right? I mean... it means I get to hang out with you." Ray smiles down at his knees, then glances at Mikey out of the corner of his eye. "I've kind of been wanting to get to know you better anyway."

Mikey swallows hard. "Yeah?" It kind of sounds like Ray is hitting on him, but he's just imagining that, right? He has to be. Still, he can't keep the hint of eager hopefulness out of his voice. The answering shy smile on Ray's face gives Mikey the confidence to say, "Me too."

Ray exhales in a rush; he sounds relieved. "Cool," he says, lifting his head to look fully at Mikey now. "So, no loss."

"No loss," Mikey agrees. Grinning, Mikey amends, "Well, except for Gee and Frank. Their loss."

Ray laughs. "Yeah."

"I mean, they're making out, though. So maybe not that much of a loss." Mikey's eyes dart back and forth a couple times before he suggests, cheeks burning, "Maybe we should make out too."

Ray doesn't say anything at first. Mikey can't read the expression on his face. He's starting to debate whether he should start backpedaling, take back what he said, when Ray opens his mouth to say something.

At first, Ray just sucks in a quick breath, and still doesn't say anything. But Mikey's pretty sure he's going to. So he keeps his mouth shut until he's sure.

Then, Ray looks up to meet Mikey's gaze. "I don't make out with just anyone, Mikeyway." The way he says Mikey's name like that, two words combined into one, is soft and familiar, like Ray's called him that before, at least in his mind.

The realization that Ray thinks about him, really _thinks_ about him and not just Gerard, warms Mikey to the core. He hunches around the pillow in his lap, not to hide a boner, but because he just feels so good he wants to curl up into himself and grin his face right off.

Maybe he should be worried that Ray's about to say that he won't make out with Mikey because he doesn't just make out with anyone, but that's not what it's sounding like to Mikey. If he's overly hopeful, it's because Ray is sending out all the right signals. And if Ray's signals are lying, Mikey might have to kick his ass, and then Gee's ass for being friends with a liar. But Mikey's pretty sure it's not going to get to that point, especially since Ray's smiling, too, like he knows what Mikey's thinking.

"Well?" Mikey demands, looking directly at Ray. "Am I just anyone, or not?"

Ray laughs then. It's one of those 'kids are so cute' laughs, and Mikey's starting to think he should be offended when Ray leans in and kisses him. That sobers Mikey up real fast. He's frozen for a second, trying to comprehend what's happening and trying to decide whether he's dreaming or not, but it quickly becomes apparent that this is very, very real.

Once Mikey realizes that the kiss is real, all bets are off. He shoves his hands into Ray's stupid afro and tugs him in to kiss him harder, sucking and nipping at Ray's lips and tongue. Ray kisses back as good as he gets. It's obvious that he's done this before, but instead of feeling jealous, Mikey's smug because he's the one Ray is kissing now. And Ray doesn't kiss just anyone.

Mikey loses track of how long they kiss. When they stop, they both go still at the same time. Mikey doesn't know about Ray, but the hairs on the back of his neck are standing up, like they're being watched.

He looks past Ray to see Gerard standing there with a look of shock on his face. Mikey snickers.

"What?" he asks, as if he doesn't know exactly what Gerard's shocked about. "I'm not the only one who gets to make out with his brother's friends," he says with a smirk.

Ray raises an eyebrow at him, but otherwise, doesn't look offended. Mikey's relieved. In his attempt to get Gerard's goat, he might very well have insulted Ray. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like that's what happened. Ray just looks mildly amused.

"He's-" Gerard starts, but doesn't finish. Mikey raises his eyebrows. What was Gerard going to say? That Ray's _his_ friend, and it's different? That Ray's too old for Mikey? Only, he can't say that, can he, because that would mean Gerard is too old for Frank. Ha. Gerard doesn't have a leg to stand on.

"He's what?" Mikey challenges. When Gerard doesn't answer, Mikey smirks again. "Why don't you go back downstairs with Frank. He probably misses you," Mikey says pointedly. Gerard opens his mouth as if to argue, then seems to think better of it, and turns around. Mikey sighs once Gerard's gone. "Now he's gonna go bitch about me to Frank. I just know it."

"Let him bitch all he wants," Ray says, capturing Mikey's attention with a smile and a hand over his. "We'll be up here having way more fun."

When Ray leans in to kiss him again, Mikey has no choice but to agree.

**Author's Note:**

> I originally tried to get this fic to fit a "fake boyfriends" prompt (you may be able to figure out how I was going to do this if you've finished reading the fic), but it turned into something a bit different. Part of the reason this fic took so long is that the muses just _would not_ bend to my will. There were certain things they would say and do, and certain things they would not. This is also the main reason this fic is not porn. Fortunately, cee_m has been very patient and understanding, which gave me the time to mold this fic into what it was meant to be.
> 
> Many thanks to my friends Emma and Nikki for supporting my writing efforts with this fic, and for being patient with me when I needed to work on this fic instead of our co-writing. They also gave me some good ideas and guidance when I was stuck. I have some pretty great friends!


End file.
